The actor and director Alessandro Quasimodo He died in Milan this morning, May 2, at the age of 85 after a long illness. The news of the disappearance was confirmed by the family to Adnkronos. Son of the poet Salvatore Quasimodo Nobel Prize of Literature 1959, and of the dancer Maria Cumanihas honored and kept the memory of the famous father throughout his life, traveling everywhere to read his poems and promoting numerous cultural and editorial initiatives.
The funeral will be held on Monday 5 May, at 2.45 pm, in the church of Santa Francesca Romana in Milan.
The theatrical and cinematographic career
Born in Milan on May 22, 1939, Alessandro He graduated as an actor in 1959 at the school of dramatic art of the Piccolo Teatro in Milanthen attending a specialization course under the direction of Lee Strasberg at the Festival of the two worlds of Spoleto, where he made his debut in the ‘reason of scandal’ by John Osborne with the direction of Lamberto Puggelli. With the small theater he was directed, among others, by Marco Bellocchio in the ‘rudder of Athena’ by William Shakespeare and Franco Parenti in ‘Il Bagno’ by Vladimir Majakovsky; While with the direction of Massimo Binazzi was, for the first time in Italy, with excellent success, Stanley in Harold Pinter’s ‘The birthday’ at the Milan Theater in Milan. He was directed by Patrice CHéreau in the ‘Massacro in Paris’ by Chrisopher Marlowe produced by Théâtre National Populaire in Lyon and Luca Ronconi in ‘Utopia’ by Aristophanes (1972).
DAt 1975 to 1978 Alessandro Quasimodo was part of the Pierlombardo Teatro Cooperative of Franco Parenti Taking part in numerous shows, including Molière’s ‘The Misantropic’, Giovanni Testori’s ‘Macbetto’ is the giant dwarf of Frank Wedekind. From 1979 onwards he dedicated himself almost exclusively to his research on poetry, and in this area he proposed shows, performances, readings, often together with Mario Cei, with great communication results, also represented in many Italian culture institutes, in Europe Asia and North America, from 1980 until the first ten years of 2000.
Alessandro Quasimodo was interpreter and curator of There are only shadows outside, and fall‘, With Franca Nuti and Luciana Savignano, Ettore Borri on the piano, dedicated to the figures of her parents, staged at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano in 2003. He edited the regions of’ Aminta ‘by Torquato Tasso (1984),’ Oreste ‘by Vittorio Alfieri (1985) produced by the Teatro alla Scala for the Summer of Art in Milan, and’ The dead city of Gabriele D’Annunzio (1987-88).
He also worked at the cinema. He took part in ‘The whistle to the nose’, directed by Ugo Tognazzi, ‘All in place, nothing in order’ by Lina Wertmüller, ‘Rome’ and ‘Casanova’ by Federico Fellini, ‘This is the garden’ by Giovanni Maderna; In Rai productions it is in ‘History of Anna’, ‘The Venetian comedian’, ‘Little ancient world’ with the direction of Salvatore Nocita; ‘The woman in white’ directed by Mario Morini, ‘The Montecristo account’ by Ugo Gregoretti.
The other commitments
He has collaborated with the Italian Swiss Radio Radio, for which he took part in numerous radiodramas, and with the RAI radio, for which he has edited, among other things, twenty -six broadcasts on Italian poetry between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries entrusted with ‘Saltimbanchi dell’Amima’ (1986). He was reciting voice in Franz Liszt’s Dante -Symphonie with the Bresciani – Nicolosi piano duo for the Italian Cultural Institute of Budapest (2007). It was the voice of John XXIII in a sacred oratory of the same name, presented in solemn form on 17 May 2014 in Rome in the Basilica of San Giovanni Il Laterano at the end of the ceremonies celebrating for the canonization of the Pope.
Alessandro Quasimodo was honorary president of the Salvatore Quasimodo of Roccalumera literary park (Messina), a place of origin of the Quasimodo family, and an honorary citizen of Roccalumera since 2017. Alessandro Quasimodo has also been engaged in supporting the enhancement activities of the birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo in Modica (Ragusa), today a museum. He was also president of the jury of some literary and poetry prizes such as San Domenichino – City of Massa, the Città di Castello Prize, the Lord Byron – Porto Venere Golfo dei Poeti, of which he was also founder. (by Paolo Martini)